On August 21, 2022, 66-year-old Quang Trong Than of Huntington Beach, California, embarked on what was intended to be a challenging day hike to the summit of Split Mountain. This peak, which rises to over 14,000 feet, is situated on the boundary of Kings Canyon National Park and the Inyo National Forest. Than, an experienced hiker, began the ascent early in the morning with two companions, starting from the Red Lake trailhead. The route they chose was the north slope, a known class 2 climb. As the group ascended, Than began to fall behind his partners. At an elevation of approximately 13,200 feet, near the base of the final summit approach, he motioned for his companions to continue without him, indicating he would either wait or head back down. This was the last time he was seen, sometime between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
When his hiking partners summited and made their descent, they did not encounter Than. Upon returning to Red Lake, they discovered that a helmet and jacket he had stashed there remained untouched. After they reached their vehicle in the early hours of August 22, they reported him missing, triggering an immediate and extensive search and rescue operation. The effort was a massive, multi-agency response led by the National Park Service and the Inyo County Sheriff's Department. The search utilized a wide array of resources, including ground teams, canine units, helicopters conducting aerial searches with high-powered optics, drones, and infrared imaging flights. Personnel from numerous agencies, including the California National Guard, Sierra Madre Search and Rescue, and Yosemite National Park, joined the effort to locate any sign of the missing hiker.
Despite the comprehensive and exhaustive search efforts that spanned over a week, no clues to Than's whereabouts were ever found. Searchers meticulously scoured the summit, the Tinemaha drainage, the Red Lake drainage, and the descent gullies, but found no evidence of him. Because he was only equipped for a day hike, he was not carrying any overnight gear. As days turned into weeks with no leads, the large-scale search was eventually scaled back to a limited, continuous mode. A somber theory emerged that he may have fallen into a deep and unstable ravine near where he was last seen, a hazardous area that was inaccessible to search teams. The disappearance of Quang Than on the rugged slopes of Split Mountain remains an unresolved and heartbreaking case, a testament to the unforgiving nature of the wilderness and the profound sorrow of a search that yielded no answers.
Last Seen: Aug 21, 2022
